Spotlight: Angela Aufdemberge '85, M.A '92

October 10, 2017

Angela Aufdemberge ’85, M.A. '92, is the president and CEO of Vista Maria, based in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The oldest, longest-standing nonprofit organization in Michigan, Vista Maria is the only nonprofit agency of its kind to provide comprehensive care, treatment, education and development services to Michigan's most victimized youth.

For more than 130 years, the agency has served the Detroit community by providing residential treatment services for girls, including placement for girls who have been abused or neglected. In addition to serving as a foster care agency, Vista Maria also provides transitional living support for girls aging out of foster care and homeless young women. The agency is also home to the only contracted and licensed specialized treatment program to serve adolescent female victims of human trafficking.

Aufdemberge earned her M.A. and B.S. degrees in business administration from WSU. She was named president and CEO of Vista Maria in October 2011, bringing 25 years of business operations, business development and organizational leadership expertise to the agency. Over the last six years, she has implemented a business strategy focused on program innovation, technology, and extending the mission and vision of Vista Maria to support youth and families in Wayne County and surrounding neighborhoods.

Aufdemberge is a strong advocate for vulnerable youth and their families. Her most recent efforts focus on foster youth identification theft protection, safe harbor and treatment provisions for trafficked victims, and expungement of court records for minor sex trafficking victims in Michigan. Her efforts, combined with those of Vista Maria’s board of directors and other advocates, resulted in the passing of 21 human trafficking laws in Michigan in the fall of 2014. Among the key reforms was the call for safe harbor and treatment for minor sex trafficking victims. Today, Angela is a highly sought after presenter on the topic of services for victimized children.